Jason Artman

What Are Terpenes & How Do They Affect CBD Vaping?

By Jason Artman | October 13 2020

Terpenes are natural compounds produced primarily by plants and occasionally by insects. They’re often very strongly scented, and some plants – most notably conifers, flowers, spices, and the cannabis plant – produce them in great quantity.

Pine resin, for example, is extremely rich in terpenes.

The main reason why terpenes have entered the public consciousness recently, though, is because they are extremely important to consumers of high-end cannabis products. Whether you’re a consumer of cannabis flowers or processed products like CBD vape cartridges, terpenes play a major role in your experience. You’re about to learn why.

Why Are Terpenes Important to Cannabis Consumers?

Hemp cultivation is a veritable playground for those who enjoy plant genetics. The cannabis Sativa plant has around 120 identified terpenes, and those terpenes express themselves in different blends and proportions depending on the genetic lineage of a particular hemp strain. Since terpenes have such strong flavors and smells, individual hemp strains have their own distinct flavor profiles. One strain might have a strong note of diesel fuel, while another has a note that tastes a bit like berries. Since the most popular hemp strains have been extensively analyzed by labs, we know what the most prevalent terpenes are in those strains along with the proportions in which those terpenes appear.

Terpenes are also an important part of the CBD vaping industry as they are often used to enhance products like CBD vape cartridges. Crescent Canna, for example, adds specific terpene blends to its CBD vape cartridges to mimic the flavor profiles of well-known hemp strains like Headband OG and Strawberry Cough. As you’re about to learn, terpenes may also offer other benefits in addition to their delicious flavors.

How Are Terpenes Used Outside the Cannabis Industry?

Although the term “terpene” probably didn’t enter your vocabulary until you began reading about cannabis, the fact is that terpenes were probably fairly major parts of your life before then. The characteristic flavors of many plant-based foods – the citrus oils in the zest of a lemon, for example – come from terpenes.

Terpenes are also present in many of the essential oils that we use for perfumery and aromatherapy. The terpene linalool, for instance, gives lavender its characteristic scent – and lavender is one of the most popular ingredients in both of those fields. Vetiver is another popular scent derived from terpenes.

Do you use soaps, lotions, and other cosmetic products scented with essential oils? Those scents come from terpenes. For another practical example of terpenes as a part of everyday life, just look at the ingredients on a container of scented body spray. You’ll almost definitely see both linalool and limonene, among other terpenes.

Terpenes and Aromatherapy

People love the way that many terpenes smell and taste, but those aren’t the only reasons why we use them. Terpenes also have potential health benefits, and those benefits form the basis of aromatherapy. Even if you haven’t explored the world of aromatherapy yourself, it’s probably already a part of your life to a certain extent because everyone is influenced to some degree by the way things smell. Lavender, for instance – with a scent that comes primarily from the terpene linalool – is thought by many to aid in relaxation. That’s why lavender is added to many “relaxing” nighttime bath products and to pillow sachets.

So, does aromatherapy really work? So far, research has produced inconclusive results. It’s hard to conduct a placebo-controlled test on aromatherapy since subjects can easily tell whether they’re smelling the real thing or a placebo. You’ve probably noticed, though, that various scents do affect you in different ways. Most people find linalool relaxing. Limonene – from citrus fruits – tends to produce an energetic or uplifting sensation.

Benefits of Terpenes in Cannabis

If you’ve read any of the medical studies examining the potential benefits of CBD, you’ve no doubt noticed that we are still in the very early stages of understanding cannabis and its potential benefits – and if you think that cannabis research has a long way to go, just wait until you start reading about terpenes. As we already know from the existence of aromatherapy, terpenes definitely do have benefits – or, at least, many people find them beneficial. We are a long way from confirming, however, whether terpenes have any provable medical benefits.

There also hasn’t been any research examining whether it is more beneficial to use terpenes by consuming them – such as in an oral CBD oil enhanced with terpenes – or by inhaling them via a CBD vape cartridge or similar product.

With those things having been said, here are some of the potential benefits of the most common cannabis terpenes.

Linalool, as mentioned above, is thought to be one of the most calming terpenes. In addition to the fact that linalool seems to relax the body and promote restful sleep, there is also some evidence suggesting that it reduces inflammation and pain.
Do you feel energized when you smell citrus oil? There may be a good reason for that. Researchers have administered limonene to mice and found that it seems to improve symptoms in an animal model of depression.
Myrcene has a smell reminiscent of cloves or cardamom and is thought to produce a sedating effect and to reduce pain and inflammation.
Caryophyllene smells a bit like pepper or spices and stimulates the body’s endocannabinoid system. It is therefore possible that it may make the body more receptive to cannabinoids or may enhance the effects of the cannabinoids you consume.
Pinene, as you might have guessed from the name, smells like pine needles. It is thought to promote alertness and may help to alleviate anxiety.

What Is the Entourage Effect?

Reading the list above, you’ve probably noticed that some of the potential benefits of terpenes are very similar to the potential benefits that researchers have discovered when studying the properties of CBD. Based on that, it should come as no surprise that some people may find CBD more effective when it’s consumed along with the terpenes that one would find naturally in hemp.

The term “entourage effect” is often used within the cannabis community to describe the idea that CBD, terpenes, and other cannabinoids work synergistically with one another to provide a stronger effect than what you’d get from consuming any one of those compounds individually.

The next time you try a CBD vape cartridge from Crescent Canna or another company that adds terpenes to its products, take a moment to enjoy the flavors and scents of some of the most potent compounds in nature. More importantly, though, you should also pay attention to how you feel. You may find that the terpenes are almost as beneficial as the CBD itself.

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Australian Vapers Reduce Nicotine Usage Ahead of Import Ban

By Jason Artman | August 20 2020

For Australian vapers who rely on imported e-liquid due to the nation’s draconian laws regarding the sale of nicotine, time is nearly up. In just a few months, the Australian government plans to ban all private nicotine imports and force vapers to obtain e-liquid with nicotine from doctors or pharmacies that possess import licenses.

The purpose of this article isn’t to cover the proposed e-liquid import ban in depth; that’s been covered extensively elsewhere. Hopefully, you have already contacted your elected representatives and told them in no uncertain terms that you do not support the ban. In the meantime, though, the wisest thing you can do is proceed as if the ban is definitely happening. After all, if you don’t want to go through the health system to get your e-liquid, you may lose the ability to get vape juice very soon. You should already be stocking up – and if you’re not, this is the time to start.

Many Australian vapers have claimed that they intend to reduce their nicotine consumption as much as possible ahead of the proposed import ban, and if you haven’t thought about reducing your own nicotine intake yet, you should definitely consider it.

Here’s why.

What Does the Import Ban Mean for Australian Vapers?

If you’re an Australian vaper who uses e-liquid with nicotine, here’s what the proposed ban means for you. Presently, you can legally import the e-liquid brands and flavors of your choice – from the vendors of your choice – as long as you have a doctor’s prescription. This falls under Australia’s personal importation scheme for therapeutic goods. Since e-liquid with nicotine isn’t available in Australia except from compounding pharmacies, you’re free to import it from an overseas vendor if a doctor says that it has therapeutic value.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt, however, plans to ban the private importation of e-liquid with nicotine due to the lack of government control and the fear that teens will acquire the e-liquid and start vaping. The ban would put a stop to all private e-liquid imports and force vapers to buy vape juice from doctors or pharmacies that have taken the appropriate steps to acquire import licenses.

The import ban means that:

You will have no alternative but to obtain a prescription for your e-liquid. Australian law already requires that, but the rule is poorly enforced. Many people don’t bother to get prescriptions because no one is likely to ask for them and because many doctors are unwilling to prescribe e-liquid.
When you do get a prescription, you won’t have the level of choice that you presently enjoy. Essentially, you can only use whatever e-liquid your doctor or pharmacy chooses to import. Flavor profiles certainly aren’t likely to be a priority.

The reason why many Australian vapers have decided to start reducing their nicotine consumption is because they don’t want to jump through legal hoops to buy vape juice and aren’t happy about the lack of choice that the ban will entail.

If you can reduce your nicotine consumption, though, you can start stocking up on vape juice now and can continue vaping for a long time before you’ll need to worry about buying more e-liquid. If you really dedicate yourself, you could potentially even get to the point where you’re no longer using nicotine at all. If you do that, you can continue using whatever e-liquid you like because you can get nicotine-free e-liquid locally from Australian vape shops like Ivanna Vape.

Have you decided to stock up on nicotine and start reducing your consumption ahead of the proposed import ban in 2021? Here are two simple ways of ensuring that your supply of nicotine will last as long as possible.

Buy a Pod System and Progressively Reduce Your Nicotine Strength

If you’re currently using a large vape pen or mod with a sub-ohm tank, the first thing that you’re going to want to do is reduce the amount of e-liquid you consume. You can do that by getting a refillable pod system and swapping your low-strength high-VG e-liquid for a higher-strength nicotine salt vape juice.

Nicotine salt e-liquid usually comes in a low strength of around 20-25 mg/ml and a high strength of around 40-50 mg/ml. Since you’re already a full-time vaper, you’ll buy the lower strength; the higher strength is for people who are still trying to quit smoking. If you vape at a natural pace, you’ll consume about the same total amount of nicotine that you do now. Since a pod system generates less vapor than a sub-ohm mod, though, you’ll use significantly less e-liquid.

As soon as you’re used to using your new pod system, reduce the nicotine strength of your e-liquid as quickly as you can without causing discomfort. If you begin this process now, then you should be using very little nicotine – and very little vape juice – by the time the ban hits.

Buy Bulk Nicotine and Mix It With Nicotine-Free Vape Juice

Unless you plan to stop using nicotine entirely by January, you’re going to want to start stocking up on nicotine now. Buying bulk e-liquid is the simplest way of doing that, but it’s far more economical in terms of shipping costs to import a high-strength nicotine base and add it to the nicotine-free e-liquid that you can buy in local vape shops.

There are two types of e-liquid products designed for adding nicotine. Those are:

Shortfill e-liquid is a bottle of nicotine-free e-liquid with empty space at the top for one or two nicotine shots. A nicotine shot usually has a size of 10 ml and a nicotine strength of 18 mg/ml. Filling the empty space in a shortfill bottle with 18 mg/ml e-liquid gives you a total nicotine strength of 3 mg/ml.
Doublers are half-empty bottles of e-liquid with double the normal concentration of flavor. To use a doubler, you’ll fill the second half of the bottle with the unflavored nicotine base of your choice. The final strength of the e-liquid will be half the strength of the nicotine base.

Simply choose the nicotine-free product that’s the best fit for you and stock up on nicotine for mixing. If you keep your e-liquid usage as low as possible, you can conceivably keep vaping for years before you’ll need to worry about complying with Australia’s e-liquid import ban.

Why a Great Battery Charger Is One of the Best Investments a Vaper Can Make

By Jason Artman | August 04 2020

If you have a vaping device with removable batteries, that gives you the luxury of charging your batteries with an external battery charger if you like. Many vapers opt not to do that, though, because virtually all vaping devices also have USB ports for charging. Why would you bother buying a standalone battery charger when you can charge your vaping device just by connecting it to your computer? For that matter, why spend the money that premium battery chargers usually cost when a free USB cable can do the same job?

You’re about to learn why a great battery charger from a vape shop like Blackout Vapors is a much better investment than you might realize. In fact, it’s one of the best investments a vaper can make. Here’s why.

Vape While Charging

Most modern vaping devices don’t support pass-through charging. Even if a device does allow you to vape during charging, the repeated charging and discharging is bad for the battery and can reduce its longevity. If you have a standalone charger, you can charge one pair of batteries while vaping with another. It’s better for the batteries, and it also means that you don’t have to stop vaping while your batteries charge.

Better Battery Longevity

If you’re using two pairs of batteries rather than one, it’s better for the longevity of the batteries. That’s not just because you’re dividing the usage among twice as many batteries; it’s also because you’re giving your batteries a break between charge-discharge cycles.

Safer Battery Charging

You’ve probably heard that any lithium-ion battery has a small chance of overheating during charging or use. You may have even heard that a few vape battery explosions have occurred over the years. Thermal incidents with lithium-ion batteries are extremely rare, but they’re even rarer with high-quality batteries and chargers. Now, if you’re using a mod that costs $50 – and you can buy a battery charger for around $50 – what do you suppose is the value of the charging components in the $50 mod?

A high-quality battery charger provides the safest possible way to charge your vape batteries. That’s not just because of the quality of the charger itself; it’s also because of the safety features that a good charger offers. These are just a few of the safety features that you can expect a top-quality standalone battery charger to have.

Individual balancing and monitoring of each battery cell
Better heat dissipation during charging
Flame-retardant materials
Temperature monitoring
Short circuit detection
Monitoring for battery cell degradation
Monitoring of the battery’s internal resistance

Ability to Charge Multiple Battery Types

One of the greatest things about owning a really good battery charger is that it’s more than just a tool for charging your vaping batteries. Many battery chargers have the ability to automatically detect the chemistry and type of any connected battery. In that way, a good charger isn’t just for charging basic 18650 vaping batteries. It can also charge 20700 or 21700 cells if you decide to upgrade to a larger vaping device one day.

If you happen to own AA, AAA, C or D batteries using the NiMH or NiCad chemistries, a good battery charger can usually handle those as well. Why have a million different cables, wires and chargers around the house when you can handle all of your batteries with just one device?

Choose Your Charging Speed

When you charge a device through your computer, you don’t get to choose the charging speed. That’s negotiated via the USB power delivery protocol between your computer and the device’s charging circuitry. When you have a standalone battery charger, though, you can enjoy much finer control over how your batteries charge.

If you don’t want to change anything about how your batteries charge, you can simply charge them with a 1-amp current. If you do that, your batteries will charge exactly as they do now. If you want to reduce the heat that your batteries give off during charging, though, a good battery charger will let you reduce the charging speed to a 0.5-amp current. Heat-related stress is the top factor that reduces a battery’s longevity. Although reducing the charging current will roughly double the amount of time that your batteries take to charge, it may also mean that your batteries will last significantly longer before you need to replace them.

On the other hand, you may be the type who doesn’t care about battery longevity. You’d rather spend as little time as possible waiting for your batteries to charge, even if that means you’ll need to replace the batteries more often. If that’s the case, today’s high-end battery chargers can provide fast-charging currents of up to 3 amps. Before using this feature, though, be warned that fast charging can cause batteries to get fairly hot. Be certain that your batteries support fast charging before using this feature.

Recover Some Dead Batteries

When a lithium-ion battery reaches 4.2 volts, it’s fully charged – and if you’re new to this type of battery, you might assume that the battery is dead when it reaches 0.0 volts. That, however, isn’t how lithium-ion batteries work. Your vaping device will actually tell you that your batteries are dead when the cells reach about 3.0-3.3 volts. That’s true of all devices using lithium-ion batteries.

Let’s suppose, though, that you use a mechanical mod. A mech mod has no internal electronics and doesn’t monitor the voltage of your battery. If your vaping device doesn’t monitor battery voltage, it’ll let you continue using your battery until the power level dips well below 3.0 volts.

At extremely low voltages, a lithium-ion battery can undergo permanent chemical changes that will damage the cell and may present a fire risk. For that reason, a lithium-ion battery enters a sort of “sleep mode” at this stage. In sleep mode, the battery will read 0.0 volts when connected to a standard charger, and the charger will not attempt to charge the cell.

One of the money-saving features you’ll enjoy with a good battery charger is that some chargers can actually force dead batteries out of sleep mode and revive them. Once a battery has been in sleep mode, it’s likely that its capacity will be somewhat diminished. However, having a lower-capacity battery is better than having a battery that doesn’t function at all. Once you’ve revived a few dead batteries, a high-quality battery charger essentially pays for itself.

How Is Vape Juice Made and Distributed? An Insider’s Guide…

By Jason Artman | July 30 2020

Have you ever wondered about the life of a bottle of e-liquid – what happens to it and what it goes through before finally reaching you? As it turns out, many of the bottles of vape juice that you buy have actually passed through several hands already. E-liquid is big business these days, and the production and distribution of vape juice has become a well-oiled machine. So, how is e-liquid made and distributed? Let’s learn more about what happens to those bottles of vape juice before you buy them.

How E-Liquid Is Made

Today, almost all e-liquid is made at large facilities by companies called “white label” manufacturers. A white label manufacturer is a company that manufactures a product but doesn’t put its own name on it. Instead of putting its own name on the package, the white label manufacturer makes the product according to another company’s specifications and puts that company’s name on the product. Almost every bottle of e-liquid that you buy is actually made by a manufacturer that produces vape juice for many different brands.

White label manufacturers make it possible for smaller e-liquid brands to get started in the industry even if they lack the resources to construct their own factories. A white label manufacturer has already invested the necessary capital to build a clean room facility and handles product consistency and quality control on the e-liquid brand’s behalf.

Do Independent E-Liquid Makers Still Exist?

Today, it is financially unfeasible for most e-liquid brands to vertically integrate themselves and produce their own vape juice. Offering product quality similar to what a white label manufacturer can offer would likely require an investment of millions of dollars. It’s also legally unfeasible in the United States because a new e-liquid brand can’t launch without first going through the PMTA process.

There are still a few vape juice manufacturers who make their own e-liquid in small labs that they’ve constructed themselves or in mixing facilities at vape shops. There aren’t many of those brands left, though, because they would have needed to be in business already when the FDA announced its regulations for the vaping industry in 2016. Over the years, those smaller brands have slowly dropped away as mass-market e-liquid has increased in prominence.

How E-Liquid Is Distributed

After it’s manufactured at the white label facility, e-liquid is shipped to the company that ordered it. Many e-liquid brands – like UK vape juice maker Second City Vapour – do sell direct to the public, and some brands also sell juice to vape shops on a wholesale basis. Most vape juice, however, goes from the brands to a massive worldwide network of distributors. Distributors do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to transporting e-liquid, often shipping dozens of bottles to vape shops at a time.

What Determines the Price of E-Liquid?

At each step along the line from the original manufacturer to the final sale to the end user, someone needs to earn a profit. So, although the profit margins in the e-liquid industry can be enviable, retail prices and profit margins have both gone down considerably over the years.

Most e-liquid brands aren’t making their own products from raw materials; they’re buying finished goods from white label manufacturers. That’s more expensive than making your own products, but building a clean room facility is unfeasible for most e-liquid brands.
Most vape juice goes to distributors who then sell it to vape shops. Distributors have to keep their prices low. In turn, they expect e-liquid brands to give them very attractive price structures.
Selling e-liquid to a distributor results in relatively low profits for an e-liquid brand. However, it’s much easier to ship dozens of bottles to one buyer than it is to ship individual bottles to dozens of buyers – so wholesale business is very important for e-liquid brands.
E-liquid brands earn their highest profit margins from selling direct to consumers, but the profits are offset somewhat by the labor involved in packing the orders. Vape juice brands must be careful to maintain the highest price points that their customers will accept; if they undercut the vape shops that sell their products, they’ll risk losing wholesale business.

Is It Better to Buy Vape Juice Direct From the Manufacturer?

As you can now see, a typical bottle of e-liquid passes through many hands. Before it finally reaches you, the following things occur.

A white label manufacturer makes the product.
The manufacturer ships it to the e-liquid brand.
The e-liquid brand ships it to a distributor.
The distributor ships it to a vape shop.
You buy it from the vape shop.

The modern production and distribution model for e-liquid is the reason why vape juice steeping simply isn’t as relevant today as it once was. When entrepreneurs made vape juice on demand – in their homes – and shipped it direct to consumers, bottles of e-liquid might only be a week or two old when customers received them. When you have an e-liquid that was manufactured very recently, steeping can help to remove the vape juice’s harsh edges and encourage the different flavor notes to meld together.

Today, though, it’s likely that almost every bottle of vape juice you buy is at least a month or two old by the time you receive it. It’s had plenty of time to steep and already tastes as good as it ever will.

When you consider the age of your e-liquid, though, it brings up an interesting question. Some people like the flavor of a vape juice that’s already had several months to steep. Others, though, would rather have a vape juice that’s as new as possible – either for maximum freshness or for maximum storage life.

If you haven’t started to think about the upcoming PMTA deadline yet, now is the time to start. It is highly probable that many of your favorite e-liquid flavors will be going away for good this September. If it’s stored well, vape juice can easily last for a year or more with no degradation in flavor quality. If you’re thinking about getting some e-liquid for long-term storage, you might want to consider buying it directly from the manufacturer for the best possible chance of getting a bottle that was manufactured recently.

The 7 Most Essential Features Any Portable Vaporizer Must Have

By Jason Artman | June 10 2020

Buying a new portable vaporizer isn’t a small decision for most people. A good vaporizer typically costs at least $100, and the best models can cost more than double that. You can’t very well return a vaporizer once you’ve stuffed it full of herb, so it’s pretty important that you get your choice right when you buy your device from Lux Vapes or another high-quality vaporizer seller.

The purpose of this article isn’t to make specific product recommendations. Aside from a few industry stalwarts that have been around for years, the market for portable vaporizers is constantly shifting. New products are appearing all the time, so the best vaporizer on the market at any given moment is constantly changing. Instead, this article will focus on the features that you should look for when buying a portable vaporizer.

Leaving aside the price – you know what you can afford – what features should any good portable vaporizer have? Let’s dive in.

Temperature Control Lets You Customize Your Vaping Experience

It’s usually a bad idea to choose a portable vaporizer that only turns on and off because a lack of full temperature control means that you have very little ability to customize your vaping experience.

Why is temperature control important in a portable vaporizer? The first reason is practicality. If you can’t get your vaporizer to operate at a heat level that you find smooth and comfortable for vaping, you’ll have difficulty inhaling the vapor deeply, minimizing the benefit that you get from your herbs.

The second reason why temperature control is important is that you might like to change what you get out of your vaping experience. The different compounds in your herbs vaporize at different temperatures, so adjusting the temperature of your vaporizer allows you to control what you’re inhaling.

Easy Cleaning Makes Your Vaporizer Enjoyable to Maintain

One of the things that you’re going to spend a lot of time doing with any vaporizer is keeping it clean. Herb resins are very sticky, and after you use your vaporizer for a while, you’re going to find that the device’s oven and vapor path are pretty gunked up. The residue will affect the device’s performance and flavor, so cleaning will become a regular part of your vaporizer maintenance routine.

Check out our #1 picks for vaporizers in the table below:

Brand Name	Rating	Why You'd Buy It...
Crafty Vaporizer (The Absolute Best In The Biz)	100%	Best-In-Class Cloud Production Insane Flavor Excellent Design Simple To Use As Good As A Desktop Vaporizer Unrivaled Performance
DaVinci IQ (Best For Battery Life)	100%	Outstanding Design Removable Battery Great Vapor Production Intense Flavor Simple To Use Fast Heat-Up Time (30-40 seconds) (View Pictures)
PAX 3 (Best For Heat-Up Time)	98%	Ultra-Portable Design RAPID Heat-Up (20 Seconds) Great Phone App For Control Wireless Charging Excellent, Smooth Vapor Great Flavor Production (View Pictures)
Arizer Solo II Vaporizer (Best Value For Money)	98%	Sleek, Unique Design 30 Second Heat-Up Excellent Battery Life Simple To Use LED Display
FireFly 2 (Best Instant Hits)	90%	Beautiful Design Runs Dry Herbs & Concentrates Excellent Vapor Production Simple To Setup Fast-Charging Battery Phone App Support (View Pictures)

Vaporizer manufacturers do a variety of different things to make maintenance easier. Some devices, for example, have vapor paths that you can remove for soaking in alcohol. Before buying any portable vaporizer, you should look at the instructions for cleaning it and make sure that you’re comfortable following those steps.

Easy Loading Ensures That You Won’t Make a Mess

Unless you’re fortunate enough to grow your own, herbs can be extremely expensive. You don’t want to waste anything, and one of the biggest sources of waste for vaporizer owners is owning a vape that’s difficult to fill. You want your herbs to drop easily into your device’s oven rather than spilling all over the counter.

The DaVinci IQ 2 – My New Daily Driver. Check Out Our FULL DaVinci IQ 2 Review For More Details…

Note that the smallest and most discreet vaporizers are often the ones that are most difficult to fill. Many people who shop for portable vaporizers want to buy the smallest devices possible, but there’s almost always a tradeoff in terms of the device’s usability.

Quality Materials Deliver the Purest Possible Flavor

One thing that you should always think strongly about when buying a portable vaporizer is the materials used for the device’s oven and vapor path. Some of the best vaporizers do have plastic vapor paths, but many people believe that you can get even better flavors out of a vaporizer with a chemically inert vapor path made from a material like ceramic, stainless steel or glass.

Ceramic and stainless steel are the two most popular materials for vaporizer ovens. While you’re not likely to find a vaporizer with an oven made from plastic, you should steer clear if you do because a vaporizer’s oven must be impervious to heat.

A Vaporizer Should Meet Your Requirements for Portability

A vaporizer can be as large as a small power tool while still meeting the definition of “portable” because it runs on battery power. Some vaporizers, however, are so small that you can close your entire hand around them for complete privacy when vaping. A vaporizer should meet your standards for portability – but bear in mind that there will be some tradeoffs involved if you choose a smaller vaporizer.

As mentioned above, smaller vaporizers are often more difficult to fill.
Smaller vaporizers may also be more difficult to clean.
Since a smaller vaporizer by necessity has a smaller battery, it will have poorer battery life.
A smaller vaporizer may produce vapor that’s less thick and potent.
A smaller vaporizer will have poorer heat dissipation and may feel hot in the hand.

A Vaporizer Should Have Your Desired Oven Position

A portable vaporizer has two possible oven positions. The oven can be at the top of the device – right under the mouthpiece – or it can be at the bottom. The two designs both have their own benefits and drawbacks, so choosing your preferred oven position is actually one of the most important decisions that you’ll make when buying a portable vaporizer.

If the oven is at the bottom of the vaporizer, you’ll enjoy cooler, smoother vapor. However, the vapor may be less potent due to the distance it must travel before reaching your mouth. In addition, positioning the oven on the bottom may make the vaporizer more difficult to clean.
If the oven is at the top of the vaporizer, you’ll enjoy warmer, thicker vapor. You may also find the device easier to clean due to the shorter vapor path. However, some people find that a vaporizer with a top oven generates vapor that’s difficult to inhale comfortably due to the heat.

You May Want a Vaporizer That Supports Concentrates

Unless you’re primarily a user of waxes and concentrates, it’s likely that you’re shopping for a portable dry herb vaporizer. Some devices, however, include pads or canisters that allow them to support concentrates (like the DaVinci IQ 2). If you use concentrates some of the time – or you think there’s a chance that you will in the future – you might want to consider buying a vaporizer with dual-media support.

Either way, we’ve tested loads of vaporizers over the years and the best of the best are listed here; inside our Best Weed Vaporizor Mods Guide.

Introducing VIGGO, Australia’s New Pod Vape

By Jason Artman | March 11 2020

Life isn’t easy for Australian vapers. As we’ve mentioned elsewhere on this site, the legal hurdles required to buy nicotine e-liquid in Australia could give an outside observer the impression that the Australian government actually prefers its citizens to smoke rather than vape. You can read more about those hurdles via the link above. In short, though, the only legal way to buy e-liquid that actually makes sense for most Australian vapers is to import it – so that’s what most Australians do.

Importing e-liquid into Australia works fine for bottled e-liquids, but buying vape pods in Australia can be problematic because pod systems that use pre-filled pods aren’t available domestically. Why would vape shops sell JUUL, for example, when nicotine-free pods aren’t available for that device? Although it’s legal to import pre-filled pod systems into Australia with a prescription, the makers of most of those devices aren’t set up for Australian shipping.

What Australians need, in other words, is a pod system that’s designed for them, and more importantly, is sold by a company that actually understands the challenges of shipping nicotine vaping products to Australia. That’s exactly what the folks at Vaper Empire believe they have with the new VIGGO pod system.

What Is the VIGGO Pod System?

The VIGGO is a vaping device designed to bring the pleasures of pod vaping to people in Australia and New Zealand without the problems – long shipping times and uninformed customer service representatives – that tend to go along with importing such devices into those regions. Vaper Empire has an Australian office and has customer service agents stationed in Australia. Those agents understand the legal hurdles that Australian vapers must overcome to import e-liquid, and they’re trained to walk customers through the process. Once the purchase is made, it arrives from an overseas fulfillment center via DHL in 3-5 business days.

The VIGGO is slightly larger than some pod systems such as the JUUL, enabling it to support a higher-capacity 400 mAh battery and generous 1.8 ml pods. The sides of the device are gently sloped for comfort, and the VIGGO also sports a soft-touch external finish. It’s available in two starter kits costing $59.99 and $89.99 in Australian dollars. The more expensive kit includes a leather carrying case and three packs of pods. The less expensive kit, meanwhile, includes one pack of pods.

Vaper Empire offers a bulk pod deal that helps to make up for the few days of waiting when you order your refills. If you take advantage of the bulk pod offer, you’ll get one free package of pods for every three packages that you buy.

VIGGO Pods: Flavors and Nicotine Strengths

At the time of writing, the VIGGO pod system has pods available in six different flavors. Vaper Empire is a company with extensive industry experience and a wide selection of bottled e-liquids, though, and it’s likely that VIGGO users will see additional flavors in the future if the device takes off.

VIGGO pods use nicotine salt e-liquid and are available in strengths of 3 percent and nicotine-free. Nicotine-free pods for pre-filled pod systems are a rarity, and the VIGGO is one of the very few exceptions to that rule. It’s important to note here that the VIGGO is engineered to produce very full vapor clouds compared to a smaller device like the JUUL. So, while a nicotine strength of 3 percent is less than what some other pod systems use, the cloud production ensures that you won’t notice a difference.

The flavors available for the VIGGO pod system are as follows:

Apple: The pick of the orchard, balancing sweet red and sour green apple notes to create a balanced flavor profile.
Creamy Custard: Smooth, rich dessert e-liquid with a creamy base, a touch of egg yolk and a hint of seductive vanilla.
Menthol: Extra-cool menthol for those who really enjoy the head rush.
Orange Crush: Fresh orange juice flavor with an icy edge.
Tobacco: Slightly sweet tobacco flavor with a bold note of flue-cured leaf.
Whole Leaf Tobacco: Edgier, smokier tobacco for those who want something more reminiscent of a cigarette.

All VIGGO pods are color-coded for those who enjoy switching flavors.

Variable-Voltage Pod System

Aside from the fact that it’s a pod system with pre-filled nicotine-free pods available, the most unique feature of the VIGGO is that it has variable-voltage functionality. The best part is that you can expect all three voltage settings to work flawlessly since the VIGGO is a closed-system device that only works with pods from Vaper Empire.

To change voltage settings with the VIGGO, simply press the mode button on the bottom of the battery three times. The indicator light changes color to show the current voltage selection; the VIGGO operates at 3.0, 3.4 and 3.8 volts. At the lowest voltage, you’ll enjoy cooler, smoother vapor and will drain your pods a bit more slowly. At the highest voltage, you’ll get richer flavors and bigger vapor clouds.

How Does Vaper Empire Handle Shipping to Australia?

Vaper Empire uses DHL as a shipping partner to provide express shipping throughout Australia and can deliver products in as little as 3-5 days. The fact that Vaper Empire has an Australian office ensures that the company’s customer service agents are well versed in Australian laws regarding vaping and can walk customers through the compliance hurdles.

Australian law is very clear on the fact that to import nicotine e-liquid legally, you must have a doctor’s prescription. That’s your responsibility; Vaper Empire isn’t a pharmacy and doesn’t have the right to request or view your private medical information. It’s highly advisable to go through the process of obtaining a prescription anyway, though, because you never know when a customs agent might ask about it.

Remember that customs agents have the right to open and inspect any package that enters Australia.

If they see that you’ve ordered e-liquid with nicotine, they’re probably going to ask you to present your prescription. Once you have a prescription, simply keep a picture of it on your phone so it’s always available if you need it.